Ha Long Bay, the crown jewel of northern Vietnam's tourism industry, is looking a little worse for wear these days. Between the toxic slurry flowing into its waters earlier this year and the ghost ships currently camped out in one forgotten corner of the bay, Ha Long isn't exactly clean or tidy at the moment.
Now, however, in addition to the water pollution woes faced by management authorities and environmentalists in the area, Ha Long can add cave vandalism to its list of troubles, reports Thanh Nien.
According to the news outlet, tourists have taken to leaving their mark on the centuries-old historical sight by tagging the walls of its caves. Whether carved or spraypainted, phrases appear in Vietnamese, English and Chinese throughout popular landmarks like Sung Sot and Dau Go Caves.
As far as Pham Thuy Duong, chief manager of the UNESCO site, is concerned, the graffiti isn't on her; she claims it appeared years ago, before she was tasked with management of the bay. Whoever's fault it is, the doodles don't exactly add to the atmosphere of Ha Long. Duong and the rest of the bay's management authorities are waiting on expert recommendations for how best to remove the graffiti without destroying Ha Long's caves.
